Keep Faith
by entre-lagrimas-y-suspiros
Summary: Swan Queen (implied). Henry and Emma apologize to Regina about Archie. Everything up to 'The Outsider' is gospel, but I'm ignoring the sneak peaks.


**Keep Faith**

She has been sitting in her ' secret den' for hours. She isn't sure just how many, but darkness must have fallen over her little town by now. She chuckles. Storybrooke stopped being her town the moment Henry managed to drag Emma Swan to her doorstep. From that moment on the safe-uncomplicated-town and it's people stopped being hers.

Sitting beneath her tree she kicks off her shoes (there is no one to see her anyway, no one who cares). Her movements cause tears to fall from her nose to splash on the white marble floor, but she doesn't bother to wipe them away. Her tears are as stubborn as she is. They wont stop until they are good and ready, and with her heart aching it could be days. That's fine by her, she could stay in the den forever. She'll be safe there, no one will hurt her. No one will laugh at her efforts to be better, no one will assume the worst from her because of her past.

She's done with that now. She's done with Storybrooke. She's done with the two idiot and their offspring. She's done with … no she would never be done with Henry. He's her son, even if he doesn't want her as a mother. Her son, even if he like all the others assumes the worst of her.

A sob catches in her throat, chocking her.

It's not hard to see why the others will always think of her as the Evil Queen, they were there. All of them were witnesses to what she'd done, but Henry had never seen that side of her. In ten years the only time any part of the Queen had seeped into their lives was in the months following Emma's arrival. Yet those months had obviously erased any memories of his happy childhood from Henry's mind.

Shaking her head, she pushes the thoughts away. She wouldn't blame them. Cora had given them enough evidence to break the fragile peace she and Emma were forging. She cant blame them.

She takes a breath holding it for moment then letting out. Hoping it would cleanse her. Cleanse of the pain, seeded so long in her heart it's almost an indivisible part of her. Cleanse her of the guilt that had always been present, even as she commit unspeakable acts, and had coalesce into a heavy burden as she watched Henry grow. Cleanse her of the faint need for revenge that lingered still.

"Mom."

All the air inside her rushes out at the sound of his voice, even if she's just imaging it.

"Mom, are you here?"

Her eyes glance across the room to her mirror. She hesitates for a second before she darting across the room, almost tripping over her shoes. A wave of her hands shows her the inside of her vault.

He is there standing close enough to the concealed door for her to see the worried look in his eyes. Her hand turns the handle before she's fully conscious of it. "I'm here."

"Mom," he steps into her arms clinging to her tighter than he had in Gold's backroom. She hugs him back so tightly that she's afraid she might actually hurt him, but when she tries to pull away his small arms hold her in place. "I'm so sorry mom. I'm sorry I didn't believe you."

She moves out of his hold and sinks to her knee. "No, it's not your fault. Cora..."

Henry shakes his head, eyes wide. "I should have known."

"Henry, baby," she hasn't called him that in almost a year (not since that infernal book came between them), "you're just a little boy. The other's didn't know, how could you?"

"Because your my mom. Your my mom and I should've had faith in you." His eyes fill with tears, "You had faith in me, you trusted me, and you took all that magic into you. You save them because you had faith in me. I should've had faith in you."

The tears that had been shocked to a halt at his presence start a new. "Oh Henry," she says pulling him into her arms again.

"Hey kid, I don't think she's here."

Regina looks up just in time to see Emma walk through the vault's door. The blonde stops as she takes them in. "Oh."

Henry pulls away a little and she stands to allow him to move to Emma as she wipes away her tears. She's seen him choose his other mother enough times now to be resigned to it.

Henry grabs the blonde's hand and drags her across the room, until they are standing in front of her. "Tell her," Henry says dropping Emma's hand and moving back to Regina's side.

Her arm drapes around him shoulder, as it has done a million times before, and she's surprised to see him snuggles in closer and smile up at her. She returns his smile almost shyly.

"Archie was kidnapped by your mother and Hook. They're here." The tone is matter of fact, but there is an almost regretful look to Emma.

"So I gathered."

"Yeah, well he managed to escape, so..." she exhaled loudly, scrapping her boots against the floor. "Regina I was wrong. I'm sorry."

She should accept, it's an olive branch that might not be extended by Snow and her prince, but she can't. She'd trusted Emma. She'd trusted her to see her free of the labels she'd bore her entire live. For a moment she'd thought she'd found someone who would see her as she is, a woman who wants to love and be loved in return. It was only a moment, but it had given her hope. Emma had made her hope. "Wrong about what?"

The blue-green eyes widen a little, "What I said about..." Emma stops and focuses on Henry, "You could give us a minute kid."

"But..."

Regina gives his shoulder a little squeeze, "Why don't you go explore my den?" He leaves them reluctantly, looking a nervously between them. Regina stares at him until the den's door closes.

"What I said earlier..." Emma clears her throat and avoids looking at directly at her, "it was wrong and cruel. Henry is your son. I should never had said otherwise."

"You were angry, and you were trying to protect him." She shouldn't be giving her a way out of this. Emma was wrong, so very wrong, but she had given her hope. Hope, Regina would cling to in spite of everything.

"Please don't... God Regina it was wrong so don't. I was wrong, don't give me a free pass because I invited you to a stupid dinner." The blonde is huffing now glaring at her in confusion and anger. "Don't give me a free fucking pass."

She took a breath and stepped forward, "Emma..."

"No, what the hell Regina? We've butted heads how many times? We don't give each other free passes. I screwed up,I don't get a free pass!"

Regina reached for her hand, holding it lightly. She has hope for a future now. "Emma..."

The blonde's eyes flicker to hers and they simply stand there staring. "It's not a free pass. You were wrong and you apologized. I've accepted." She glances at their hands, to see her thumb stroking Emma's skin. "That's that."

"Regina, what is this..." She motions between them, "I..."

Henry walks back in. "Can we go home now? All of us?"

"I don't think your grandparents," she has to force the word out, "would welcome me into Snow's apartment."

He gave her a mischievous smile, "Nope, but I was talking about our home, not grandma's place."

Her heart feels heavy for all the right reasons and the stubborn tears threaten to return again. She can't find the right words so she offers her unoccupied had to Henry and pulls him close.

Emma smiles at them and tugs on Regina's hand. "Come on it's time I take you home."

FIN.


End file.
